We need to be clear about the fossil fuel companies. It is a bit different from tobacco, it would have been better if we'd never had tobacco at all. But we've now got to move beyond fossil fuels. And there is a big difference between those which are taking a lot of their cash flow and investing it in technologies - and those which are just fighting back and trying to defend their fossil fuel business forever. We need to reward and encourage the ones which are making the change quickly.
What now for the world? Governments have reached a climate deal which gets us closer to holding temperatures rises to 1.5C. But a last-ditch effort from India and China to water down pledges to phase out coal has led some to consider COP26 a failure. Yes, COP26 could have achieved more but is this agreement one that could potentially be seen as a strong foundation on which the world can build for the future?
To debate the motion we heard from Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Renewable and Sustainable Energy; Clover Hogan, climate activist, researcher on eco-anxiety and the founding Executive Director of Force of Nature; Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton Pavilion; and Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission.
Chair for this week's debate was Helen Czerski, one of the UK’s most popular science presenters.
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